


Truth for Freed Justine (Freed's POV)

by Anxious_Procrastinating



Series: Truth for Freed Justine series [2]
Category: Fairy Tail
Genre: Dark, Violence, gruesome
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-07-21
Updated: 2016-07-21
Packaged: 2018-07-25 22:16:46
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,329
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7549381
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Anxious_Procrastinating/pseuds/Anxious_Procrastinating
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Freed is kidnapped on a mission and tortured and killed to protect Laxus. (Extremely dark and gruesome content inside, please read the warnings)</p>
            </blockquote>





	Truth for Freed Justine (Freed's POV)

**Author's Note:**

> A/N: Hi everyone!:) Please read this Author's note, it's really important. I wrote this some time ago, taking inspiration from real facts that had happened some time earlier and that I had heard about in the news. This is a complementary story to Truth for Freed Justine, though it can be read as a standalone. I didn't post it at first though, because I thought it was pretty gruesome, since there are descriptions of tortures. So you have been warned.
> 
> Then a friend (I won't say her name because if this thing goes south I don't want her to get hate, though she knows I'm really grateful for convincing me and telling me all those good things) read it and told me that in her opinion this wasn't as bad as I thought and that with the right warnings she would post it, so here I am.
> 
> Now how much you think you can handle is up to you. I am not incredibly detailed in the descriptions of the tortures, but I say quite a bit and focus both on the physical level and the psychological level. I got kinda upset too rereading it. So this is my warning, if you don't think you can handle this don't read it. I mean it.
> 
> For those who have decided to continue instead, thank you for your attention and I hope that you like this!:)

The mission was supposed to be easy. Freed could turn into a demon, he knew all the weaknesses of this species. Taking down some of them was child's play to him. He was actually more worried about his teammates, because he knew that sometimes some kinds of magics didn't work on these creatures, and well, it was in his nature, but they'd been dead set on splitting up, for the sake of going home sooner and he couldn't argue. He decided that once he had taken care of his part of the island, he would go to help the others.

He should have cared more about his own safety though, as he was the one who incurred the biggest danger of his life.

He met some demons after wandering in the woods for around half an hour. He killed them with ease, without even recurring to his transformation. Somehow he felt reassured by that: Laxus, Evergreen and Bickslow could easily take them down too then. But the farther he went, the more the number of the demons increased, until he found himself in the middle of a clearing, surrounded by at least 50 of them. They were different from the others.

Feeling a bit tired for the previous battles and noticing that these demons were way more powerful than the ones he'd fought before, Freed immediately transformed into his own demon form, hoping that it would help him.

He fought fiercely and bravely, taking down demon after demon. They were opponents worthy of this name, he would admit it. But every single one of them, once he landed the final blow, disappeared in a cloud of charcoal smoke. That confused him. Moreover, their number never seemed to diminish. He actually thought he'd seen more of them arrive from the surrounding areas. Maybe they had been attracted by the sounds of the battle or maybe the smell of his blood.

As the fight went on, the demons had landed many powerful blows on him. And the ones that appeared seemed to be always stronger than the ones that preceded them, whilst his strength started to diminish, because of the efforts, the injuries and the magical drain.

The fight went on for hours, until his magic level had lowered so much that he couldn't hold his transformation anymore. A bloodied and battered man stood shaking in the place of that mighty black demon. Freed pointed his sword forward, turning around, ready to defend himself from whom decided to attack him first. He felt extremely tired. His muscles ached terribly and he struggled to stand. His breath came in pained gasps because of a gash right in the middle of his ribcage. He had many other bruises and wounds, but the one that was bothering him the most was that one. Plus, blood was oozing copiously from it, he had to find a fast way to get rid of his enemies and treat it.

The situation was pretty desperate though. He didn't have much energy left and his magic container was running on low. He thought that maybe he could set up a basic defensive rune and wait that his team would help him.

 _"But what if they are in the same situation as me?!"_ he thought worriedly. The only one who could be in a better state was Laxus, as he was the most powerful and resistant among the four, but he couldn't expect him to be able to save all of them. Besides, he couldn't let his friends stay in danger and wait for them to save him! He was their Captain! He was responsible for them! But even without his role, he would never abandon them!

He decided that he had to act and reach his friends as soon as possible, but he had to face reality first. The demons were still there, more powerful than ever. He didn't manage to fight them back. He found himself completely drained of anything, sprawled on the ground with a paw of a demon pressing hard against his head and crushing his skull. He eyed his sword with the only eye he could keep open. It lay scattered on the ground a few meters away from him. The blade was broken. There was nothing else he could do.

 _"Damn it! Evergreen…Bickslow…Laxus…I'm sorry…"_ he thought, as he had already accepted the fact that he was going to die, maybe cruelly devoured by these beasts.

But then something he totally didn't expect happened: all the demons, except for the one that was firmly holding him down, disappeared and three men appeared with smirks on their faces.

"Amazing, isn't it? A machine that produces demons with strength that varies depending on their opponent. Quite ingenious, huh?" said one of them.

 _"So you are the one behind this…what's the point?!"_ thought Freed.

"Freed Justine, am I right?" said another one of them. "You're gonna come with us now"

_"How does that guy know who I am?"_

Freed hadn't taken part in the Grand Magic Games, so there was no reason for him to be famous.

With a flick of his fingers one of the men made the demon holding him down disappear, but Freed didn't have neither the strength nor the time to do something, even run away like a coward, as the other two men picked each one of his arms and dragged him up, so that he would face their comrade. The man walked closer and grabbed his chin, looking at him closely, seeming extremely thrilled.

"Who…are…you?" Freed managed to whisper.

"You'll know it soon. All in due time" the other answered. Then addressing to the men with him he said: "Let's go"

Freed struggled to stay conscious. All of his efforts, trying to escape the grip of his captors were useless, he could barely move. He was brought in a building concealed by runes and locked in a cell with his three captors, who tied him tightly to a chair.

He felt helpless and scared. He just hoped that Laxus, Evergreen and Bickslow were ok. And that someone would come look for him with enough people to defeat these guys and save him. He hated to be a burden for the others, but unfortunately he desperately needed help now. He was well aware to be in danger. But maybe if he played along he might manage to survive and escape. The blood loss and exhaustion didn't help his mental faculties though.

"We want to know something from you"

"Treat my wounds first, please" he said, barely a whisper. He didn't need to pretend to be that weak. "Then I'll tell you anything you want to know"

If he could recover just a bit he would wreak havoc on the entire building with all the people inside and make his escape.

The three erupted in a laughter.

"You think we would help an enemy?"

"You want something from me. You should give me something in exchange" he said with a lopsided grin. He couldn't even hold his head upright. Damn.

"I don't really think you're in a place to request something"

"Neither are you"

A punch connected with his jaw. He grunted in pain and spit some blood.

"Calm down Johnny!" he heard through the haze.

"This guy is annoying me!"

That wasn't the right strategy. These people weren't dumb enough. And he couldn't be cunning enough.

"You should cooperate. This way we'll grant you a swift death. Without too much suffering"

He laughed bitterly. He was going to die. This was just his luck. Trying to retort wasn't working. He tried to be compliant. Maybe he could trick them in a different way.

"What do you want to know?"

"Our guild was allied with Raven Tail. We want to avenge its honor. Tell us where Laxus Dreyar is and we won't hurt you"

Freed lost his cool. He was supposed to be submissive when they wanted to hurt Laxus?! Fuck all schemes and strategies to avoid death and gain time, he was outright furious. Even with the magic-sealing bindings his right eye had turned pitch-black.

He raised his head and looked at his captor straight in the eye, giving him the hardest stare he could muster. "Like hell I'll tell you" he said coldly in a deep tone.

He didn't care about his situation, if he was going to die, if he was going to suffer. He was going to protect Laxus, even if it was in vain. These guys seemed not to know that Laxus was there on the island. They could find out anytime but he didn't care. He loved Laxus with all his heart. If it meant that he would be safe, he was going to endure anything.

_"But now please, Laxus. Run away"_

"Oh, is that so? We'll see if after we're done with you, you'll be this cocky" he smiled wickedly.

Electricity crackled from his hands.

First the runes and now lightning magic. Freed wondered if that was a coincidence or if they had learned to use their magics on purpose. He imagined that there might be a Seith mage and a Fairy magic user too then.

Freed observed the man approaching him. He couldn't help but feel sadness along with fear. Laxus had promised that lightnings would never hurt him, only protect him. What about now?

_"Laxus…"_

He closed his eyes in anticipation and couldn't suppress the scream that ripped from his body as the lightning hit him. It wasn't simply scalding hot, it was painful, jolts of pain that spread through his whole body as he convulsed helplessly. When the attack ended, he smelled burnt flesh and he felt as if his cheek, with which the lightning had collided at first, was on fire. He saw himself in a mirror behind his captors. On his face there was the first searing mark of many he still had to receive.

As he still struggled to breathe he heard the request again: "Tell us where Laxus Dreyar is"

Was he ready to endure that and even more?

"Anything for Laxus"

"No"

"We're gonna have loads of fun with you" said the captor that had punched him earlier, as his fist hit him in the gut. Blood gurgled in his throat and he coughed. He had to, if he didn't want to choke.

"The answer is still no" he croaked out.

The rune mage of the dark guild undid the ties on Freed's wrists and legs and the other two brought him on a wooden table. They strapped him again and tore away his already tattered jacket and shirt.

"You said that you wanted your wounds to be treated, right?"

He looked at him suspicious.

"This one" he said, lightly touching the gash in his side and Freed jolted in pain. "must hurt like hell, huh?"

Freed didn't answer, he just heaved.

"What if I do like this?"

The tormentor took a knife and plunged it into the gash. He was achingly slow.

Freed bit back a scream. He didn't want to give this guy that satisfaction. He ground his teeth and grunted as all the muscles in his abdomen contracted.

"Oh? Still have some pride left?"

He twisted it inside him and Freed could feel it cut through his flesh and grate against his bones.

He emitted a blood-curdling cry.

"That's more like it" he said satisfied.

Freed wheezed and gave him a look of pure hatred.

"So, where is Laxus Dreyar and what are his weaknesses?"

Silence.

The tormentor twisted the blade again. "I said…where is Laxus Dreyar and what are his weaknesses?"

The only sound that came from Freed was that of his labored breathing.

The man extracted the knife only to stab Freed again with much more violence than before.

"ANSWER ME!" he shouted annoyed.

Freed screamed again and he couldn't hold back some tears.

"Laxus…Dreyar…has no…weaknesses" he said through pained breaths in a feeble voice.

"Stop fucking with us, faggot" said another captor, casually stubbing out a cigarette on his shoulder, as if he were an ashtray. Freed hissed at the minor burn. He didn't even consider the insult as he was used to hearing such words being directed to him.

"It's…true…he's...the Thunder God"

The lightning mage stepped forward and electricity came out from his hands again. He wrapped a mysteriously solid thunder around Freed's neck and started tightening the grip until the rune mage couldn't breathe anymore.

Freed tried desperately to find some air, he gasped and inhaled, but his lungs remained empty. He felt them burning as well as his neck as his field of vision gradually shrank. He was sure that he was about to die. Like that. Humiliating. But at least he hadn't said anything about Laxus and his misery would end.

Once he stopped fighting, the burning lightning unwrapped from his neck leaving its mark and he could breathe again. He coughed and took sharp intakes of breaths as the knife still planted in his ribcage sent him shockwaves of pain as the muscles around it tensed.

The man who had almost killed him leaned close to his ear and whispered tauntingly: "Your god is going to disappoint you then. You can pray as much as you want, but no one's gonna spare you the torture we have in store for you. Not even death"

A chill ran down his spine.

He was left alone for the time being.

The position he was in was pretty uncomfortable and with that blade in his already aching body even breathing was torture. He tried to think how he could escape all that, he studied his surroundings, but there was nothing, absolutely nothing he could do.

He let out an agonized breath, wondering when those guy would come back and what they would do to him. It had been horrible, painful, excruciatingly so, and he was terrified that he would have to undergo that treatment again. He just hoped that those three wouldn't come up with something worse.

Fear clawed at his mind and his heart raced in his chest as he could do nothing other than wait what was to come. He thought about his friends and hoped that they were alright. He desperately wanted to know what had happened to them, but he couldn't ask his captors, as he might give out details on their position.

He wondered why they wouldn't openly attack Fairy Tail. Maybe they knew that they had no hope against the whole guild. Maybe they hoped to catch Laxus on a job, that's why they were continuously asking. Maybe they knew that Laxus was supposed to be out there with him. Damn.

A few hours later his captors came back, but Freed didn't know how much time had passed, it could be an hour, or even a whole night. He had tried to rest, but to no avail. He was in the grip of anxiety and because of it and the pain in his body he just couldn't relax.

This time they'd brought a bar of iron, a whip, and something that Freed had never seen.

"Have you changed your mind?" the rune bastard asked.

"No" he said curtly.

All three chuckled darkly. He shuddered, completely aware that he was at their mercy.

"An electroshock is a good way to start, huh?" said the lightning mage, pressing his palms against his temples.

Frying his brain? Was it what he was going to try?

Lightning suddenly coursed though his whole body and he thrashed, choked and screamed, his eyes rolled to the back of his head as the burning pain hurt him from the inside.

He was given a bit of time to recover, but his body still shook, both for the attack and the fear.

The whips came later. The stinging pain wasn't the worst thing he'd endured, even if it hurt, until cuts started opening in his skin and then his raw flesh was completely exposed to the torture.

Then the metallic bar. The lightning mage warmed it with his magic, until it was so hot it was nearly melting. They pressed it against Freed's skin, both where it was still unscathed and where it was hurt. Even on the spots of raw skin. He cried out at the searing sensation until his throat was raw, as the object left bleeding, burning marks behind.

Freed was scared, terrified, hurt. He didn't want anything else to happen to him. He tensed against his bindings and let out shaky breaths. He had yet to experience the worst thing though: the object that he couldn't identify. They stripped him of his pants and boots and put one if his legs inside that metal trap, between bars of sharp metal. Then they started closing the distance between the upper bars and the lower ones, more and more, until his skin was pierced by the iron stakes and his bones slowly and painfully crumbled.

Before he could control himself he begged them in tears.

"PLEASE, STOP!"

"Only if you tell us what we want to know"

He hesitated.

"No…" he whispered in a broken voice as sobs escaped his lips.

"Then it doesn't hurt that much"

They freed his leg from the object and put the other one inside it. Freed heaved, now knowing full well what was about to happen and he pleaded again, as tears ran down his cheeks: "Please..."

"You know what you have to do"

Taking his silence as an answer, they did the same thing to his other leg as he desperately screamed, wailed and pulled against his restraints, but refused to give in.

Once they extracted his leg from that infernal thing, the lightning mage patted his butchered limbs with more force than necessary and he gasped in pain.

"I admire your determination and your resilience, I actually thank you, because you're allowing me to have great fun, but…is it really worth it? Sacrificing yourself for that man?"

"Yes" he whispered, still catching his breath.

But that conviction wavered in the following two months as Freed was subjected to hellish tortures. Starvation, sleep deprivation, physical pain, illusions that made him believe that his friends were the ones torturing him or that made him feel pain even if he wasn't being touched. He was burned, cut, choked, mutilated. Anything that would hurt him so much that it felt like dying and bring him close to actual death or make him wish for it, but never being truly lethal.

A few days before his actual death, after he'd begged his captors to cut off his fingers because of the agony that they'd caused him by flaying them, that question echoed in his head. Was it really worth it? All that? Something clicked inside of him that day. His tormentor had been right, no one had come to save him, hoping had been useless and he'd lived the last two months in pure and unadultered agony. All for Laxus.

He wondered why he was doing it. If for loyalty, love or something else. Were his feelings for him that strong? Was it right to let them guide him? They hadn't led him to a nice situation. Maybe he'd been stupid, not to follow his reason or not doing what was best for him, but every time he was tempted to help his captors just to make that torture end, Laxus's face flashed in his mind and his words stopped just a second before being uttered, as he felt disgusted with himself because the thought of betraying the man he loved had crossed his mind.

Not even a week later, his captors had killed the crippled mass of traumatized skin and bones that was now Freed Justine. As he drew his last breath he thought again about that question.

He didn't know if it had been worth it, but it sure had felt right.

**Author's Note:**

> The first part is the same as the first part of my entry for day 7 of Fraxus Week. Since I didn't originally plan to post this I used it in another way, then I changed my mind...Let's say that Lightning demon can be considered as the alternate happy version of this :P


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